Automatic brake-setting mechanism.



J. P. REYNOLDS. AUTOMATIC BRAKE SETTING MCHANISM. APPLICATION FILEDSEPT. 10, 1909.

TH: NaRRls PETERS co Patented Dec. 6,1910.

arma# ENFER@ @TATES PATENT FFQE, Y

JAMES F. REYNOLDS, OF CRETE, NEBRASKA, ASSIGl-NOR TO THE .AMERICANRAILWAY DEVCE C0., A CORPORATION' OF .ARZONA TERRTORY.

AUTOMATIC BRAKE-SETTING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dee., tt, 19in.

Appicaton filed September 10, 1909. Serial No. 517,350.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES F. REYNOLDS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Crete, in the county of Saline and State of Nebraska,haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Brake-SettingMechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a device for automatically operating' oractuating the brake setting mechanism of a moving train when itapproaches a peint of danger such as an open switch, a bridge or thelike, thereby relieving the engineer of the responsibility of settingthe brakes at such points by performing the work automatically andwithout fail.

A further object of the invention is to provide the air pipe of a trainwith a relief valve having an operating arm or lever that projects inthe path of a member supported alongside the track so as toautomatically open the valve at a predetermined point.

A still further object of the invention is to provide suitable andconvenient means arranged alongside the railroad track for the purposeof engaging and actuating the air relief valve, such engaging mechanismbeing of various types as will be hereinafter described.

Still further objects of the invention are to simplify and improve thegeneral construction and operation of this class of devices.

Vith these and other ends in view which will readily appear as thenature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in theimproved construction and novel arrangement and combination of partswhich will be hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed outin the claim.

In the accompanying drawings has been illustrated a simple and preferredform of the invention, it being however understood that no limitation isnecessarily made to the precise structural details therein exhibited butthat changes, alterations and modifications within the scope of theinvention may be resorted to when desired.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a plan view showing a portion of a railroadtrack including the switch and illustrating one form of the inventionarranged in proximity to the switch. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectionalview on a larger scale taken on the plane indicated by the line 2 2 inFig. 1. Fig.

3 is a vertical sectional view taken approximately at right angles toFig. 2 and on the plane indicated by the line 3-3 in said figure. Fig. iis a sectional elevation showing certain parts of the device adjacent tothe switch. Fig. 5 is affront elevation of a locomotive showing the sameapproaching the brake setting mechanism.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are denoted by likecharacters of reference.

A post or upright supported upon a base l1 which may be suitably securedupon one of the ties adjacent to one of the track rails 12, as shown inFig. 1 is provided with bearings for a pin or shaft 13 disposedapproximately parallel to the track rail and carrying a lever L havingtwo arms one of which 14 extends in the direction of the track while theother arm 15 which extends in the opposite direction is equipped with aweight 16 the gravity of which tends to hold the arm 1A in anapproximately horizontal position, the upward movement of the arm letbeing limited by a suitably disposed stop not shown; a hood or cover',18, is suitably arranged to exclude snow, ice and the like. lThis coverwhich may be regarded as being mounted upon the shaft 13, which latterextends through the sides there of, is provided with flanges 17supported upon the upper edge of the lever L so that the cover will rockor move with said lever, and thus without occupying much space, willserve to form a protection for the joint to prevent the entrance ofmoisture and the formation of rust and the admission of obstructions,whereby the free operation of the device might be interfered with, thisbeing obviously of great importance since the weight 16 is depended uponto move the lever into operative position when desired.. The lever L isalso provided with a downwardly extending arm or crank 21; with this armcrank is connected one end of a suitably guided flexible element 22, theother end of which is connected with a drum 23 upon a shaft 2A that issupported for rotation in a switch stand 25 or in some other suitablesupporting casing; the arrangementbeing such that when the switch isoperated either to open or to close the same, the drumrarrying shaft 24will be partially rotated by means of a crank 26 upon said shaft beingsuitably connected with the switch tongues by a link 27 or in any othersuitable convenient and well known manner. When the switch is closed,the iexible element 22 will be partially wound upon the drum 23, thusoscillating the rock shaft 13 which constitutes the i'ulcrum of thelever L against the gravity of the weight 16 and moving the arm 14 in adownward direction to the nonobstructing position shown in dotted linesin Fig. 2; when the switch is thrown open, the flexible element 22 isunwound from the drum, and the rock shaft 13 will be oscillated bygravity of the weight 16, thus lifting the arm 14 to the obstructingposition shown in i'ull lines in Fig. a.

The air pipe 30 of a train is provided with a branch 31 having a. reliefvalve 32, the stem of which 83 is provided with a lever 34 which, whenthe valve is closed, occupies an approximately vertical position, aportion of said lever extending downwardly in the path of the arm 14when the lat-ter is raised to an obstructing' position. Wfhen a trainthus equipped approaches the brake actuating mechanism, and the latteris set with the arm 14 in an obstructing position, said arm uponengaging the lever 34 will oscillate the valve stem 33, thus opening thevalve and permitting air to es "ape, thus causing the setting oi thebrakes. When the main line is open, the arm 14 will be in anon-obstructing position as will be readily understood and no operationwill ensue excepting the event of the breakage of parts, such as theflexible element 22, when the brake actuating mechanism will beautomatically set by gravity of the weight 1G.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawingshereto annexed, the operation and advantages of this invention will bereadily understood.

The construction of the improved brake setting mechanism is simple andit may be installed at a moderate expense; its operation is not onlysafe and sure, but is, apartrom the initial setting, entirely' automaticand not dependent upon the watchfulness orn the employees.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed, is

In a device of the character described, a supporting member such as apost or upright supported adjacent to a railroad track, a shaftextending therethrough, a lever fulcruined upon the shaft and having onearm extending in the direction of the track and an oppositely extendingarm carrying a weight, a hood supported upon the lever and having sidemembers engaging the shaft, which latter ext-ends through said sidemembers, a crank extending downwardly from the lever, and meansconnected with said crank to rock the lever against the'gravity oi theweight, said means including a ilexible element connected with thecrank, and a suitably supported winding drum for the flexible element.

ln testimony whereof l affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES F. REYNOLDS. lllitnesses R. L. Droit, Jr. C. W. `WEGKBACH.

